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Article Excerpt
THE HANDLING OF FIRE AND flame, and the apparent immunity to their effects, have been matters of much interest to humanity for many centuries. Countless "Human Salamanders" have astonished crowds at mediaeval fairs, and fire-eaters still attract attention in this age of technology, wherever and whenever they perform. While the "mystery" behind manipulating torches and blowing flames from the mouth is quite well solved and understood, there is one specific variety of "playing with fire" that remains baffling to many: those performers who actually walk upon burning embers and substantially-hot stones. And behind that mystery might well be found some useful secrets of technology, human physiology and psychology, or even natural immunity.
The puzzle is two-fold: first, how physical damage to the body tissues is avoided; and second, how the firewalker is able to withstand what would seem to be unbearable pain. Severe burning of the skin and subsequent carbonization would seem to be the inevitable result of exposure to these temperatures, yet these phenomena am not observed. A raw steak dropped on a hot frying-pan can be observed to literally cook, thus it would seem that any study of this matter should concentrate first on why no actual burning takes place, as well as why there should be no pain, either. But more about raw steak later.
Are conditions such that burning is inevitable? Certainly, the measured temperatures seem to be sufficient. Temperatures of more than 340[degrees] Celsius (644[degrees] Fahrenheit) and even higher are reached in some of these performances. The melting point of lead is 327[degrees] Celsius, so anything that can melt lead...
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